Students share access-to-care issues on the hill

On Feb. 14, 2013, six doctor of dental medicine students from the University of Florida celebrated Valentine’s Day by sharing their love of dentistry with members of the Florida senate and house in Tallahassee as part of UF ASDA State Lobby Day.

The students met with three state senators, Aaron Bean, Anitere Flores, D. Alan Hays and Denise Grimsley, and two state representatives, Larry Ahern and Jimmy Patronis. Their conversations and presentations were focused on the need for access to dental care for Florida’s underserved community.

However, one of the elected representatives probably didn’t need a great deal of background on the issue. Alan Hayes is also a retired dentist who earned his degree from UF in the college’s charter class

We want to thank the students for taking the time to share their concerns with Florida’s elected officials and are grateful that the state senators and representatives took time out of their schedules to learn about this important oral health topic.

Photo one from left: Ramzy Lofti, Class of 2016; Desmond Foster, Vikash Dhaya, Jaqueline Garcia, Ann Hoang and Frank Berdos, all members of the Class of 2015.